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US's Most Powerful Nuclear Bomb Being Dismantled
ABC NEWS ^
| October 25, 2011
| BETSY BLANEY
Posted on 10/25/2011 7:48:27 AM PDT by penelopesire
"The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs a weapon hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War. The final components of the B53 bomb will be broken down Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. The completion of the dismantling program is a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, and aligns with President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons. Thomas D'Agostino, the nuclear administration's chief, called the bomb's elimination a "significant milestone."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: asia; b53; bho44; bhonukes; bomb; coldwar; decline; disarmament; guineamilestone; hurray4europe; icbm; nationalsecurity; obamalegacy
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Hmmmm....just as Obama is setting the Middle East on fire..he is weakening America's defenses. What could go wrong?
To: penelopesire
We started disassembling these in the 1980s. So it’s Reagan’s fault.
Seriously? This is in breaking? Giant iron-bomb nukes are pretty useless. I doubt a BUFF would make it close enough to a real target to drop it.
To: penelopesire
Why do I suddenly feel sick?
3
posted on
10/25/2011 7:52:41 AM PDT
by
goodnesswins
(My Kid/Grandkids are NOT your ATM, liberals! (Sarah Palin))
To: penelopesire
4
posted on
10/25/2011 7:52:41 AM PDT
by
E. Pluribus Unum
("Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them." --Ronald Reagan)
To: penelopesire
In the meantime we have Chinese scientist throughout our nuclear programs and China, no doubt, continues to develop EMP bombs, neutron bombs and killer satellites, using technology stolen from the US.
5
posted on
10/25/2011 7:54:55 AM PDT
by
Oldexpat
To: penelopesire
‘Cause, y’know, if we do it, everybody else will...
Freakin’ Pollyanna.
6
posted on
10/25/2011 7:57:24 AM PDT
by
jagusafr
("We hold these truths to be self-evident...")
To: penelopesire
The original intent of this weapon was as a bunker buster. We now have much more effective deep penetrating and very accurate weapons to do the job. It’s obsolete. Like the Sherman tank, a good piece of engineering in its day,
7
posted on
10/25/2011 7:57:24 AM PDT
by
RedStateRocker
(Nuke Mecca, Deport all illegals, abolish the IRS, DEA and ATF.)
To: goodnesswins
Why do I suddenly feel sick?
Because you don't read articles, and just glance at headlines?
To: goodnesswins
Like I said in the OTHER thread on this same subject...we got a ton more nukes sitting atop missiles in silos. They can go anywhere in the world with a few minutes notice. No reason to feel sick, worried, distraught, upset, on even slightly shaken. The B-53 did it’s job, and it’s being retired. There is NO MORE to read into it than that.
9
posted on
10/25/2011 7:57:36 AM PDT
by
hoagy62
(The United States of America. Great idea...while it lasted.)
To: hoagy62
Good perspective. Thanks.
10
posted on
10/25/2011 7:59:49 AM PDT
by
Obadiah
(I am an official program sponsor of The Mitt Busters.)
To: penelopesire
Well if there is a work accident it would happen in amarillo where you couldnt tell the difference in the landscape.
To: RedStateRocker
“The original intent of this weapon was as a bunker buster.”
But it could also be detonated at altitude to optimize effect on a city. 9 mile effective blast radius. Double that for lethal thermal effects. That’s one bad piece of work.
12
posted on
10/25/2011 8:04:49 AM PDT
by
swain_forkbeard
(Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
To: penelopesire
Too bad it wasn’t dismantled as originally intended: instantaneously in a 10 million degrees F, 4-mile wide fireball above Iran’s nuclear development facility, or even better, on Amahdi-jihad himself.
To: penelopesire
obama promised to disarm America and he is doing so at an accelerated rate.
LLS
14
posted on
10/25/2011 8:06:07 AM PDT
by
LibLieSlayer
("Americans are hungry to feel once again a sense of mission and greatness." Ronaldo Magnus)
To: goodnesswins
Well if we need to nuke a Giant Asteroid we are SOL:
15
posted on
10/25/2011 8:07:51 AM PDT
by
GraceG
To: Strategerist
"The completion of the dismantling program is a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, and aligns with President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons." MAYBE that's why....
16
posted on
10/25/2011 8:07:58 AM PDT
by
goodnesswins
(My Kid/Grandkids are NOT your ATM, liberals! (Sarah Palin))
To: hoagy62
17
posted on
10/25/2011 8:09:13 AM PDT
by
goodnesswins
(My Kid/Grandkids are NOT your ATM, liberals! (Sarah Palin))
To: penelopesire
The B-53 is an early to mid-60’s era device, 9000 lbs, 12-1/2 feet long. It is a complete pig. The first ones to be dismantled were dismantled in 1968. That’s how old it is. If ever we became engaged in a nuclear exchange, this is the absolute last thing we would use on anything or anybody. It’s a museum piece, at best. Not that it wouldn’t ruin your day if it went off, but it’s better to dismantle it, from any conceivable standpoint, war OR peace.
To: hoagy62
It had deterrent value back in the day (50’s and 60’s) when the Soviets and the Western Alliance seemed to place great value on putting lots of megatons out in the field, ready to fly. I have heard that current strategic planning values accuracy and the destructive power of a lot of smaller warheads properly placed for maximum effect. Fielding big blockbusters that have little chance of reaching the target is a lot like loading up on battleships. Better to have subs to take them out, and do other things.
19
posted on
10/25/2011 8:09:58 AM PDT
by
chimera
To: RedStateRocker
Oh, come on, we can do better, I can build somethign that can take out 7/8 of a solar system...
20
posted on
10/25/2011 8:10:22 AM PDT
by
GraceG
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